


This Is What Love Is

by littlefaerielights



Category: IT (2017)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Sooooo fluffy, everyone loves everyone okay?, like TOOTH ROTTING fluff, no pennywise because fuck her, they just deserve to be happy, they just love each other so much and this is about them thinking about their love for each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 08:15:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14131920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlefaerielights/pseuds/littlefaerielights
Summary: Some sweet little fluffy one shots from the Losers and their own definition of love.





	1. Richie

Richie figured the quarry was most beautiful at night. But maybe he was biased because his best memories happened at night and he just _knew_ in the light of the impromptu bonfire, tonight would be one of them. Eddie was between his legs, resting against his chest and that alone was enough to make it stand out among the _many, many_ nights they’d spent here. But it wasn’t just that. He figured maybe it was the way the shadows danced over Bev’s face as she braided Stan’s hair and the way Stan smiled as she braided his hair. It was the way Bill walked around the fire, reciting his newest story without the slightest trace of a stutter in his voice. It was the way Mike was draped over Stan’s lap, looking up at him as though he held all of the answers to the universe. And it was the way Ben was leaning against the log across from Bev, looking at her from across the fire as he scribbled in his notebook and glancing up at her ever so often.

There was something in the air that Richie couldn’t place, and that something was what was already carving a place in his memory. He felt it when he touched Eddie’s still damp skin, when Bev looked over and winked at him. He felt it in the way Stan smiled at him; a rare genuine smile, accompanied by sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks. He felt it when Mike absently reached for his hand and squeezed it lightly before letting go. He felt it when Bill walked by him and softly ruffled his hair. He felt it when Ben caught his eye and smiled shyly. If Richie had to put a word to it, he might call it _electric_. Like a special bond he usually felt when he was around his friends. But electric didn’t feel right. It was too rough of a word. No, electric wasn’t _right_ , he decided, looking at Bev and Stan again.

Maybe it was _love_.

Maybe that’s what he felt with Eddie leaning against his chest, dozing softly against his shoulder and Bill’s calming voice floating through his ears. And maybe if Richie was forced to define love, he was say it was Stan with his OCD letting Bev with her paint-coated hands braid his hair. He would say it was the way Mike held the warmth of the sun for all of them but stared at Stan like he was the brightest star in the universe. He would say it was the way Ben took his bleeding heart and turned it into a web, spinning the most beautiful poetry he’d ever read. He would say it was the fire in Bill’s heart, ever burning and set there to protect and love. He would say it was Bev always taking care of them, never asking questions. And he would say it was Eddie, his Eddie leaving his window unlocked and a first aid kit under his bed.

Richie would define love as a bonfire crackling under Bill’s voice with Eddie in his arms. It would be his friend’s laughter echoing out into the night with the quiet water from the quarry occasionally hitting the shore. It would be the air hitting his bare back and blowing through Eddie’s hair, the sound of Ben’s pen scribbling across the page and the sound of Mike adjusting in Stan’s lap. It would be Bev shaking out Stan’s hair to start again and the sound of him playfully slapping her leg.

 _Yes_ , Richie realized as he kissed Eddie’s forehead, _this_ is what love is.


	2. Bev

Bev had always found rooftops magical. She loved feeling closer to the clouds and have the wind flow through her hair. She liked seeing the sun rise and fall without the other buildings obstructing her view.

And tonight, they were spread around the roof of the tallest building in Derry because they wanted to see the sunrise before going to breakfast at Eddie’s favorite diner. It was Bev’s idea, _obviously_ , and she sat on the highest point of the roof, watching her boys around her. The magic of her rooftop felt different tonight. She didn’t think it was the full moon, though that was absolutely beautiful, or the stars that shone like diamonds in the velvet of the night, even though that was so pretty it made her heart ache. But that wasn’t what made the night beautiful.

No, it was the blankets and shawls they’d spread out over the rough surface of the roof and the pile of discarded shoes. It was the air, hazy with smoke with music weaving through the clouds around their heads. It was their laughter, making the stars shine even brighter.

But it wasn’t just the moon, the stars, the music, and their laughter that made the night so magical. It was _them_. It was Richie and Eddie slow dancing around the roof, their laughter the most beautiful sound Bev had ever heard. They made her dizzy as she tried to keep her eyes on them. Richie spun Eddie around before dipping him down dramatically and Bev had never seen Eddie happier. It was Stan resting against Mike’s chest, pointing out constellations to him while Mike whispered in his ear. Stan had silver on his cheeks from Mike drawing his own constellations from the faint freckles on his skin. They were so stuck in their own bubble and Bev had to look away because she felt like she was intruding on a private moment. Or it could’ve been Bill, because it was almost _always_ Bill. He looked so pensive, so peaceful, so _happy_ sitting on the edge of the roof with his legs dangling off. He was just looking at the city, watching the lights turn off one by one. As Bev watched him, she realized it’d been a while since she’d seen him so peaceful. Then there was Ben, _her_ Ben. Her sweet, _sweet_ Ben. He was sitting across from her, a notebook in his lap. But he wasn’t writing in it, he watching her as she watched everyone else. He would write a few words every once in a while, before staring back up at her and Bev tried to hold his gaze but he was looking at her with _so much_ love she didn’t know how to handle it.

Maybe it was the way Richie stared at Eddie as he spun him around in the morning light, softly kissing his lips when he pulled him closer. Maybe it was the way Stan and Mike’s legs were tangled together. Maybe it was the way Bill quietly sang along to the song on the radio. Maybe it was the way Ben’s hair was lightly blowing in the wind.

But Bev could taste the magic in the air and as she watched the sun start to kiss the horizon, she could feel their love wrap around her like a blanket. Because Eddie’s laughter, Richie’s smile, Mike’s voice, Stan’s hands, Bill’s warmth, and Ben’s eyes were her definition of love and it was all Bev ever needed.


	3. Eddie

Eddie had always found a strange comfort in diners. He couldn’t place it. They usually went at weird times of the night, so maybe that was it. Time always felt kind of distorted and more often than not, they were usually the only ones there. They didn’t feel magical, like Bev tried to make them out to be. They didn’t feel _romantic_ , like Richie claimed nor did they feel dirty like Stan jokingly said last week. Bill once wrote a horror story in a diner because he thought they were a little creepy and Mike only appreciated them for the food. Which Eddie could respect. Ben was the only one who kind of understood, but not really. He thought they had a magical edge to them but he was wrong. If Eddie had to put a word to it, he would have to call them _timeless_. Maybe even _classic_.

But things felt different tonight. Eddie couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he was kind of reminded of something that Richie had told him once. Like when you can feel something is going to be A Memory. Something you’re just going to remember forever.

But that wasn’t the only thing that was different. He felt something else in the air of the empty diner, something he couldn’t name. Eddie thought that maybe Richie and Bev might be right. Not that he’d ever let them know that.

Eddie’s tucked into Richie’s side tonight and they’re in the middle of the corner booth that might as well have their name on it. He’s letting the conversation flow over him tonight, just taking everything in. The table is sticky and Eddie’s noticed it’s the only sticky surface that doesn’t bother Stan. The table is full of half empty milkshake glasses, empty soda glasses, half empty plates, and stray fries. It was a mess and Eddie thought it was beautiful because it was so wonderfully _them_.

Eddie felt it; _whatever_ was charging the air, when he looked at Bev sitting across from him. He realized that maybe, in another life, he could’ve fallen in love with her. She looked so _fucking gorgeous_ with the glitter on her cheeks under the glow of the pink neon light. He watched as she adjusted the flower crown Richie bought her, saying she was the Queen of the Losers, and realized that maybe a small part of him was in love with her. And when she laughed at something Mike said, he realized they all probably were. He felt it when the neon light that made Bev look like a fairy reflect in Stan’s eyes and Eddie swore he’d never seen him so _free_ before. Stan looked softer somehow, lighter, like the milkshake and pancakes he’d just eaten had taken the weight of the world off of his shoulders and he’d never looked so beautiful, laughing at one of _Richie’s_ jokes. He felt it as Bill drew on a paper napkin after paper napkin, passing out his drawings to them all like they were gold. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as he drew and talked and Eddie remembered how Bill was his first crush. He figured all of the Loser’s had a crush on Bill at some point. Watching Bill draw, he realized a small piece of his heart will probably always belong to him and if were to give his heart to anyone other than Richie, he would trust Bill with it the most. He felt it when Mike spoke because Mike is a _literal ray of fucking sunshine_. Eddie could feel Mike’s words etching themselves into his skin. His voice was smoother and sweeter than the syrup on Eddie’s french toast and it was better than the music playing from the speakers. He felt it when he watched Ben throw a fry at Richie for a joke that was just too bad and he realized it’d been a while since he’d seen Ben so carefree. He moved, dodging a fry from Richie and the neon lit up his face and he was so beautiful, Eddie had to look away. And he really felt it when he looked at Richie, his Richie, because his glasses were slipping off of his nose, his curls were standing up in all different directions, and he had purple on his cheeks from Eddie making constellations from his freckles in the quiet of his room. But as he threw fries back and forth at Ben and now Mike, he had the widest smile on his face and it was so fucking beautiful, it made Eddie’s heart hurt.

Maybe it was the glitter on Bev’s cheeks and the flowers in her hair. Maybe it was the neon reflection in Stan’s eyes and the laughter falling from his lips. Maybe it was the marker on Bill’s hands and the love he held in his heart. Maybe it was Mike, who was their sun. Maybe it was the beauty that was Ben and the teasing words falling off of his tongue. Or maybe it was the beautiful disaster that was Richie because for Eddie, it was _always_ Richie.

Or _maybe_ , Eddie realized, it’s okay to fall in love with your best friends.

Because love, Eddie _also_ realized, is rawest at a diner at three forty seven in the morning. What love is to Eddie is flowers in Bev’s hair, pink neon in Stan’s eyes, marker on Bill’s hands, syrup dripping from Mike’s voice, laughter falling from Ben’s lips, and purple constellations on Richie’s cheeks. It’s sticky tables, sticky vinyl booths, milkshakes, chocolate chip pancakes, strawberry French toast, cheeseburgers, fries, extra bacon, and whipped cream fights.


End file.
